When the first ecumenical Kirchentag (church day) kicked off in Berlin
May 28, some participants said they hoped the event would bring the Catholic
and Protestant faiths closer to unity, while others said they have been
behaving as if the churches already were unified.

By the time the crowd of more than 200,000 gathered on the lawn in front
of Germanys parliament, the Reichstag, for the church assemblys
closing celebration June 1, many felt a united faith community was already in
evidence. But Catholic church suspensions and threats of excommunication for
Catholics who took part in a shared Eucharist (see related story) made it clear
that there were still some major ecclesiastical stumbling blocks along the road
to unity.

The assemblys opening had been auspicious, packed with Catholic
and Lutheran laity and their clergy, together with leaders of both churches --
including, vicariously, the pope. Archbishop Giovanni Lajolo, papal nuncio to
Germany, read a message from John Paul II that stressed the common
message of all Christian faiths. When all of you together witness
to the gospel of Jesus Christ in all its strength, you make it clear that
Christians have a common message for the world. I want to encourage you to do
so, especially in Germany.

The pope reminded participants that Germany was the source of division
in the church in the 16th century. (When the German Augustinian friar Martin
Luther nailed his protests of Catholic church abuse of power to the door of
Wittenberg chapel, it is commonly accepted that his action signaled the
beginning of what would become the Protestant Reformation.)

Since then, the pope said, Many steps have already been taken
toward reconciliation. Carry them forward with sensitivity and consideration
toward one another. Carrying them forward, both Catholics and Lutherans
would learn in the days ahead, was not without challenges.

This first ecumenical Kirchentag built on the traditions of the
Protestant, or Lutheran-Reformed, Kirchentag and its younger and smaller
counterpart, the Katholikentag, or Catholic Day. About 190,000 people
registered for the five-day event, with several thousand more attending some
parts of it. Over the long weekend, some 3,200 events were held at 600 Berlin
locations. In addition to more than 40 Catholic bishops as well as dozens of
Protestant and Orthodox leaders who attended, speakers included athletes,
actors and authors; Jews, Muslims, Hindus and atheists.

While the assembly sought unity among churches, it was also a cause for
unity among Berliners. Private citizens offered some 12,000 beds to Kirchentag
participants.

Following the opening ceremony, participants streamed into Berlins
grand promenade, along which church groups and organizations presented their
work. The domes of St. Hedwigs Catholic cathedral and the Berlin
Protestant cathedral were joined in a bridge of light.

Participants took on Berlin Mayor Klaus Wowereits invitation to
conquer the city, spreading out across Berlin wearing the bright
orange scarves bearing the assemblys slogan, You should be a
blessing.

Initially, lay organizers said they hoped it would be possible to hold a
joint Communion by the time of the Kirchentag. Catholic church prohibitions
meant it was not possible -- at least officially -- even though lay people at
the assembly had a different attitude.

Anneka Camphausen, a Lutheran, said she had been receiving Communion at
Catholic Masses for some time. The eucharistic ministers who served her never
knew she was not Catholic, she said. Her boyfiend, Sebastian Hack, a Catholic
from Hamburg, said he hoped the Kirchentag would bring the churches closer
together, paving the way for an eventual canonically legal joint Communion.

Janina Kaatz, a Catholic from Berlin, said she would participate in a
joint Communion service. I find what the pope says on this issue not
quite right, she said.

The May 29 Catholic Mass in which non-Catholics were invited to
Communion prompted penalties from Catholic authorities and displeasure from
Lutheran organizers of the Kirchentag as well. The event was not an official
part of the Kirchentag, but some 2,000 participants took part in it. Kirchentag
organizers criticized the service for distracting from the assemblys
ecumenical message and forcing a unity that does not exist.

But by the time the event closed, the positive was getting more stress
than the negative. The road we have already traveled together gives us a
taste of the full community for which we yearn, said Elisabeth Raiser,
Lutheran organizer of the event. We want to continue on this road
together.

No one can tear apart what now unites us, said Hans Joachim
Meyer, Catholic organizer of the event.

Cardinal Karl Lehmann of Mainz, head of the German bishops
conference, said the experience of the ecumenical event would make a difference
at the next Catholic church assembly to be held next year. Lehmann said next
years Catholic assembly for youth would also have a more ecumenical
flavor.

Egon Richter, 46, from the northern city of Osnabruck, where his
Catholic community already holds services with Protestants and Muslims, said he
hoped church leaders would promote more unity.

It already works quite well at the community level, he said.
But there has to be more unity at the institutional level.